Paul Terry wrote:
In message ,
writes
Paul am I missing something here I travel at least five times a
year to Brussels on Estar and a conservative estimate tells me I am
going to save sweet FA over all by the measly twenty minutes or so of
time saved on the Estar leg of my journey .
In that case I don't think you've missed anything at all. My point
is that Eurostar's move risks losing an established customer base
(many of whom live close to Heathrow or Gatwick, so who may choose
to fly rather than cross London) for a somewhat unknown market from
"the north".
I think you're overestimating the risk.
If existing E* customers live close to Gatwick, they will be able to get
to St Pancras on Thameslink (from December this year) rather more easily
than they currently get to Waterloo.
If existing E* customers live close to Heathrow, they can get to St
Pancras either on the Piccadilly Line or via Paddington and the Circle
Line (instead of Paddington and the Bakerloo).
In my own case, living in Chiswick, I often take a cab from home to
Chiswick station (easier than walking ¾ mile with luggage) for the
journey to Waterloo. I can just as easily take a cab to Hammersmith and
take the H&C to St Pancras, with a similar journey time from home to the
E* station. I certainly do not plan to fly even though Heathrow is my
local airport.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)